After the huge success of our Summer Culinary Pop-Up and a short break, KOMAT Restaurant is back with another culinary challenge - the autumn edition of our pop-up collaborations.

We'll be open for lunch and dinner starting Thursday, 5 September.

It's the time of the best harvest, and the season brings with it a feeling of endless abundance. The transition from summer to autumn gives us a chance to grab the best, because - isn't that right? - Every end is actually a new beginning... A rich palette of vegetables and local produce awaits us, and the smell of smoky peppers is already in the air :) 

Autumn culinary pop-up begins with chef Nikola Krumov. 

Hello, Nikola! Introduce yourself :)) 

I've never liked to talk about myself, but if I had to introduce myself in a nutshell, I'd say - romantic, adventurous and gourmet :))

I have worked a lot. I didn't study to be a chef - I joke that I'm self-taught, but it's really just a lot of reading and a lot of work. Education isn't everything. Looking back, it seems like a natural thing to do. Ever since I was a kid, I've been interested in anything to do with cooking trying to figure out what was going on wherever something was being prepared. This naturally continued with a brigade in the States. I worked there as a busser - the guy who bused the tables. The kitchen was huge - a madhouse, noise, forty people working in sync - all that really impressed me!

In Sofia, I continued to work as a pizza chef in a high-end Italian restaurant. Then I decided to switch to hot cuisine - the experience with chef Viktor Angelov was valuable. Whenever I changed jobs, it was always with the idea that there must be a new purpose.

And what is that purpose today? 

Today, I'm driven by the process of creating a restaurant. Finding suppliers and products is extremely difficult. It's important to create a team that can become a well-oiled machine with perspective. The creative part is extremely important. The most important thing is that things are constantly evolving and it’s not enough to come at work with the mindset that you're going to get your paycheque. For me, community is a big value - a good restaurant gives you the opportunity to create that.

Also - I want to go to Art school. This idea has been in my head for a couple of years. My father is an artist and I like to paint.

When we talk at KOMAT, we can't help but ask - why is the relationship between cooking and art so special? 

That is what impressed me about KOMAT. I think you have to be an aesthete in both fields. Every taste and every creative touch is a unique experience, connected with one’s background.  

You will take part in the culinary pop-up at KOMAT from 5th to 15th of September. Will there be an autumn presence on the plates or will we be staying a little longer in summer? 

I wouldn't say we're heading for autumn - we're still very much in summer! The best and sweetest products are coming out now, soaking up all the sunshine of the season. Overall, the pop-up will look fresh – when I create a menu my main goal is the good product. There will be lamb brains and Danube fish, prepared in a more modern way. The salad will have tomatoes and peppers, which for me is the salad of the summer. The proteins I will use are mainly in the fish and vegetables. Each of the dishes will be something I love myself.

Is that your basic rule in the kitchen? 

For me, yes! In recent years, with new trends coming in, people often focus on the look of a dish and sometimes forget about the taste. The vision should not be underestimated, but first and foremost the food has to taste good.

The pop-up format has been part of your culinary style since the dawn of time. What attracts you to this "short" form? 

Maybe the freedom it gives me. When you work in a restaurant, there is always someone who has the last word. The pop-up format allows me to work with the people I prefer. The energy of the process and the enjoyment of the work are extremely important to me - if I don't enjoy it, I don't see the point. When the restaurant I was in at the time closed because of the pandemic, I had to find a new way of interacting. If you wanted to go to a restaurant, the restaurant came home :)) I was extremely well prepared in terms of utensils and everything I needed. Very often I was invited not just for the food, but for the communication and the overall experience. People love to ask questions and I love to explain. The children are almost always with me. I love that interaction! You have to be able to communicate, but you also have to manage the time between preparing food and talking.    

Chef Nikola Krumov's menu:

❶ Roasted red peppers, smoked aubergine with bagri sheep's cheese, sherry vinegar, walnut biscuits

❷ Tomato, squeezed watermelon with ouzo, thyme, Bagri sheep's cheese, red onion

❸ Duck leg paté with confit, foie gras, blueberries "gastrik", figs 

❹ Prawns with garlic, chilli, lime and coriander, courgette puree with pistachio, light bisque

❺ Potato - slow cooked, potato espuma, wild mushroom ragout and chimichurri

❻ Lamb marrow with haunch of venison and sage, potato gnocchi with truffle and lemon, parmesan foam, herbs. 

❼ Danube whitefish with peas, bacon, prosecco and salami

❽ Chocolate, pear and blue cheese

❶⓿ Milk veil, chantilly cream, caramel and figs

Chef Nikola Krumov will be part of the Autumn Culinary Pop-Up from 5 to 15 September. 

Book your table at KOMAT Restaurant here